Elastic fabric



April 9 1940- c. A. cosMAN 2,196,957

ELASTIC FABRIC April 9, 1940. C, A, COSMAN 2,196,957

ELASTIC FABRIC Filed'July 28, 19157 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 9, 1940 UNITED y STATESv ELASTIC FABRIC Claus A. coman, Basel, switzerland, assignor to The Elastic Manufacturing Co. Ltd., Basel, Switzerland, a corporation of Switzerland Appueatin'riy 2s, 1937, serial No. 156,236 In, Switzerland January 8, 1937 10 Claims.

This invention relates to elastic tapes or strips of the kind normally used for ladies and childrens stocking garters, waist bands-for underwear, athletic garments,y supporters, etc., or in other places where one or both ends of a piece of elastic stripping is normally sewn or other- Wisey secured in place on a garment, etc. by stitches or other means passing through the strip perpendicularly to the plane thereof, or where opposite ends of pieces of elastic stripping are adjustably or permanently secured together to'formv arm, leg, or other encircling bands, etc.

When an elastic strip of the prior art is subjected to a sewing or other strip-penetrating operation, for securing the strip in place, or when opposite ends of the strip are secured together, or when the elastic strip for any reason is penetrated by needles, prongs of buckles, or by other sharp or pointed implements, rubber strands embodied in the strip are frequently cut thereby.

The construction of the prior art elastic strips is such that the cutting ofone or more of the strands of rubber embodied in the strip permits the cut ends of such strands to pull apart '25 and slip away from the point of severance in opposite directions longitudinally through the fabric forming the body of the strip, due to the tension under which the rubber strands are normally maintained in the fabric, thereby reducing the eiiciency of the strip in proportion to the percentage of the rubber strands severed.

Oneobject of the present invention is to construct an elastic strip in a manner to prevent cut or free ends of rubber strands embodied l therein from slipping longitudinally through the elastic body of the strip.

Another object of the invention is to-make a continuous strip composed of elastic sections alternating with inelastic sections, longitudinally of the strip, with the rubber strands running longitudinally of the strip and anchored in each elastic section, and extending freely from one elastic section to the next elastic section along each intermediate inelastic section.

Another object of the invention is to anchor the rubber strands in the respective elastic sections, especially at the junctures of the elastic sections with the inelastic sections, in a manner to prevent slipping of the rubber strands in the elastic sections, so that the strip may be separated into units of predetermined lengths, by cutting the strip transversely in the inelastic sections of the strip, whereby the rubber strands extending freely along the inelastic sections may contract from the points of cutting to the juncture lines inelastic section as a single ply or solid web and to make the ends of each inelastic section adbetween successive elastic sections and the inelastic section in which the cut is made without slipping into or through the elastic sections, leaving the separated portions of the inelastic section substantially free of rubber, in order that 5 the inelastic section parts may be readily utilized in the manner above noted.

Another object of the invention is to make the elastic sections and the greater portion of each jacenteach elasticsection as a hollow or twoply web to provide pockets in the strip into which the cut ends of the rubber will retreat when the strip is cut transversely through an inelastic secl5 tion thereof.

Theconstruction of an elastic strip made in accordance with the principles of the present invention will be fully disclosed hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, 20 of which:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic face view of a continuous strip composed of alternating elastic and inelastic sections;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 2 2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 illustrates a ladys or childs stocking garter composed of a single unit separated from the strip and including an elastic section and an integrally formed inelastic section of the strip 8o with an adjustable clasp at one end of the elastic section and with the inelastic section adapted to be sewn or otherwise secured to a ladys corset or girdle or to a childs undergarment, etc.;

Fig. 4 illustrates a pair of units each having an inelastic section at each of its opposite ends with an elastic section intermediate the two inelastic sections in each unit and with the two units adjustably connected by a buckle secured to an inelastic section of one of the units and having prongs passing through an inelastic se'c- 40 tion of the other of the units;

Fig. 5 is an expanded diagrammatic face View of a portion of the strip illustrating the weave of an elastic section and an inelastic section of the strip at and adjacent the juncture line therebetween;

Fig. 6 is a rear face view of a. portion of the strip shown in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a, longitudinal sectional view taken on the line '1 -l, Fig. 5; and

Fig.V 8 is a fragmentary view similar to Fig. 5 but showing the normal relation of the elements of the strip.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings a continuous strip A is shown as consisting of elastic sections B alternating with inelastic sections C.

As shown in Figs. 5, 6A and 7, the strip is composed as usual of interwoven fibrous warp and weft threads, with rubber strands extending in a general longitudinal direction through the fabric and spaced apart transversely of the fabric.

Between the elastic strands, the fibrous or normally inelastic warp threads are divided into groups. In the present instances, as a matter of illustration, each of the groups contain eight warps, indicated at I, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 1 and 8 respectively. The warps are interwoven with two sets of weft threads I 0a and IIlb which are respectively disposed on opposite faces of the fabric, with the rubber strands R arranged in the median plane between the upper wefts IIJa, on the front face of the fabric,rand the lower wefts Illb, on the rear or back face of the fabric. Each rubber strand R normally lies between the warp 8 of one group of the warp threads and the vwarp I of -the next adjacent group of warp threads, within the elastic sections B of the strip.

The elastic sections B are composed of solid web, i. e. a single ply fabric. In the present case, the weave of the fabric is of the type commonly known as a three-and-onetwill, i. e. each warp thread passes over three of the upper wefts IIla and under the next or fourth upper weft and a lower weft Illb lying substantially directly below said fourth upper weft, then over the next three upper wefts and so on in recurring cycles. The passing of the warps perpendicularly through the fabric B, completely from the one face to the opposite face of the fabric, as indicated in Fig. 6, forms tie loops II, I I which bind the component threads together to form the solid web single ply fabric in each elastic section B.

'I'he tie loops II of adjacent warps are offset longitudinally of the fabric to the extent of one weft throughout each of the elastic areas or sections B. The fabric is woven with the wefts Illa and IIlb normally under a relatively high tension and the wefts extend in substantially straight lines across the strip, due to such high tension, from one edge of the fabric to the opposite edge thereof and in so doing bind the warp threads together tightly transversely of the fabric.

The tight transverse binding of the warps by the wefts tends to pull the tie loop II of the warps 8 at one side of each rubber strand R under the warps I at the opposite side of the rubber strand, at one pair of the superposed wefts "laf-|017; and at 'the same time the adjacent Vtie loop 4 I of the adjacent warp I at the opposite side of the rubber strand R is pulled under the warp 8 at the opposite side of the said rubber strand at the next adjacent pair of superposed wefts Ilia-IUD.

The pulling of the tie loops in opposite directions at opposite sides .of the rubber strand R1 tends to offset the rubber strand R from a normal straight line parallel to the warps, as indicated at I2 in Fig. 5, whereby the rubber strand R is pinched or gripped rmly between the adjacent tie loops II, II. The offsets in the rubber strands are somewhat exaggerated in Fig. 5 for the purpose of illustration.

The offsetting of the rubber strands R at the anchor points I2 causes a snubbing action of the rubber around the tie loops II and this prevents the rubber from slipping in the fabric longitudinally thereof when tension on the rubber is released, as by severing of the rubber within the fabric.

The rubber strands R are further held against slipping by reason of their being respectively bound firmly against the undersides of the upper wefts Illa by the lower wefts I0b which in turn are bound firmly together by the\tie loops II distributed over the fabric in the manner indicated in Figs. 5 and 6. Y Y

From the above, it will be clear that throughout the whole of each of the elastic sections B of the strip A the rubber strands R are held against slipping primarily by the offsetting and snubbing at relatively spaced points along each of the rubber strands, and secondarily by being gripped firmly between the upper and lower wefts intermediate said primary anchoring points.

Fig. 7 illustrates the manner in which one leg I Ia of one tie loop Ii and the opposite leg IIb of the adjacent tie loop Il, at opposite sides re'- spectively of the rubber strand, at each of the anchor points I2, pass around the opposite sides of the rubber strand R and grip said rubber strand, holding it in the kinked or offset formation illustrated at I2.

The fabric in the elastic sections B, as noted above, is a single ply construction. The fabric in the central portion C1 of each inelastic section C is of the same single ply 4or solid web construction as the elastic sections B, excepting that, in the portions Cl the elastic strands R lie outside the fabric, on one face of the strip, while the fabric in the end portions C2, C2 of each inelastic sections C is of a hollow or double ply construction, with the rubber strands R passing freely through each of these hollow sections C2, C2 of the strip, longitudinally thereof, between an upper ply C3 and a lower ply C4 of the hollow double ply fabric, see Fig. 2.

The double ply fabric in the portions C2, C2 of the inelastic sections C is produced by bringing half of the warp threads of each group, I to 8 inclusive, to one face of the fabric, above the rubber strands R, and the remaining warps to the lower side of the fabric, below the rubber strands R. For example, out of each group of warp threads the alternate threads 2, Il, 6 and 8 are brought to the upper side of the strands R and woven in a simple one-over-one weave with the lply plain fabric in the inelastic sections C produces a juncture area D in which the various warp threads in passing from the one type of fabric to the other become wrapped firmly around the rubber threads R, in themanner illustrated in Fig. 8 with the fabric in its normal condition.

Where the weave changes from the double ply fabric of the hollow portions C2, C2 of each irielastic section C to the single ply solid web of the central portion C1 of eachinelastic section C, the rubber strands R pass completely out of the fabric and lie on one face of the strip freely along the central portion C1, as shown in Fig. 2.

While the strip is in a normally longitudinally contracted state, the strands R are maintained under a certain amount of tension, longitudinally, by the construction of the fabric in the sections B. The snubbing of the rubber at the points I2 maintains this tension condition in the elastic sections B and the wrapping of the warp 'threadsv 2,196,957 and weft threads laround the rubber strands R in the juncture sections D prevents the rubber from slipping back into the elastic'section from the strands contract to a full normal state and slip back into the hollow portion C2,l C2 in the ends of the inelastic sections C, which form pockets for receiving and concealing the free ends of the rubber strands immediately adjacent the junction sections D, leaving the single ply portions C1 of the inelastic sections C free of rubber and readily adaptable for use in the manner noted above.

The inelastic fabric in the end portions C2, C2 I of the inelastic sections C is woven in a flat tu bular form. The upper ply C3 is connected to the lower ply C4 at the marginal edges of the strip A in selvage areas E, E, which are of a simple oneover-one weave the same as the fabric of the plies C3 and C4. These marginal selvage areas E, E extend alsQ throughout the lengths of the single ply elastic sections B and the intermediate singly ply portions C1 of the inelastic sections C.

Parallel to and spaced inwardly from the extreme opposite edges of the strip A, through the inelastic sections C and the elastic -sections B, one or more of the warp threads pass completely through the fabric, over the upper wefts Illa and under the lower wefts Hlb as indicated at l5 and thereby bind the two ply fabric together along the edge of the strip. This keeps the strip fiat and provides a smoothly rounded selvage edge on each side of the strip which when used a's a garter and lying next to a persons skin keeps the edges of the elastic strip from irritating the skin.

Extending substantially parallel to and midway between the rubber strands R, R are brous relatively inelastic warp threads i6 which lie between the upper and lower Wefts Ia and Illb, in the elastic sections B, in the same manner as the'rubber strands R.

In the elastic sections B these floating or filling warps l 6 normally lie between the warps 4 and 5. In the double ply portions C2 of the inelastic sections C, the warps I6 lie adjacent the warps 3 and are interwoven therewith with the wefts Ib in the lower ply C4 of said section C.

The warps I6 tend to limit the longitudina stretch of thefabric and the rubber strands R, R thereof and by reason of these threads being interwoven with theinelastic sections C and floating through the intermediate elastic sections B, B, the warps I5 are prevented from being pulled out `or losing their utility when the strip A is separated into units.

I claim:

l. In an integrally woven fabric strip comprisingrelatively elastic sections composed of single ply fabric alternating with relatively inelastic sections composed partly of single-ply fabric and partly of double-ply fabric, elastic strands running longitudinally of the strip and interwoven with the elastic single-ply fabric and lyingl freely on one face of `the single-ply inelastic fabric and intermediate the two plies of the double fabric, said strands being anchored to the strip against relative longitudinal slippage at and by the juncl Y 3 tures or the double-ply fabrics or the inelastic sections withvthe single-ply fabrics of the elastic sections.

2. In an integrally woven fabric strip comprising relatively elastic sections composed of singleply fabric alternating with relatively inelastic sections composed partly of single-ply fabric and partly of double-ply fabric, elastic strands running longitudinally of the strip and interwoven with the elastic single-ply fabric and lying freely on one face of the single-ply inelastic fabrics and intermediate the two plies of the double fabric, said strands being anchored to the strip against relative longitudinal slippage at and by the juncmediate .said junctures.

3. In an integrally woven fabric strip comprisy ing relatively elastic sections composed of singleply fabric alternating with relatively inelastic sections each consisting of a centralportion composed of single-ply fabric and opposite end portions' composed of double-ply fabric, elastic strands running longitudinally of the strip and interwoven with the elastic single-ply fabric and lying freely on one face of the single-ply fabrics of said inelastic sections and intermediate the two plies of the double fabrics of the inelastic sections.

4. In an integrally woven fabric strip comprising relatively elastic sections composed of singleply fabric alternating with relatively inelastic sections each consisting of a central portion composed of single-ply fabric and opposite end portions composed of double-ply fabric, elastic strands running longitudinally of the strip and interwoven with the elastic single-ply fabric and lying freely on one face ofthe single-ply fabrics of said inelastic sections and intermediatel the two plies of the double fabrics of the inelastic sections, said strands being anchored in the strip against relative longitudinal slippage at and by the junctures of the double-ply fabrics of the inelastic sections with the single-ply fabrics o f the elastic sections.

5. In an integrally woven fabric strip comprising relatively elastic sections composed of singleply fabric alternating with relatively inelastic sections each. consisting of a central portion composed of single-ply fabric and opposite end portions composed of double-ply fabric, elastic strands running longitudinally of the strip and interwoven with the elastic single-ply fabric and lying freely on one face of the single-ply fabrics of said inelastic sections and intermediate the two plies of the double fabric of the inelastic sections, said strands being anchored in the strip against relative longitudinal slippage at and by the junctures of the double-ply fabrics of 'the inelastic sections with the single-ply fabrics of 'the elastic sections, and means for anchoring said strands against said slippage at predetermined points throughout said elastic sections intermediate said junctures.

6. In an integrally woven fabric strip comprising longitudinal warps, upper and lower transverse wefts, elastic strands interspersed among and extending substantially parallel to said warps between said upper and lower wefts, said warps passing over predetermined upper wefts and under predetermined lower weflts in loops tying said upper and lower wefts together as a singleply fabric with the elastic strands vbound thereby in one section of the strip, said warps being y dividedinto two separate series with one series interwoven solely with the upper wefts and the second series interwoven solely with the lower wefts in an adjoining section of the strip to form a. double-ply fabric with said elastic strands freely disposed between said lplies in said adioining section of vsaid strip.

7. In an integrally woven fabric strip cornprising longitudinal warps, upper and -low""' bound thereby in one section of the strip, said warps being divided into two separate series with one series interwoven solely with the upper wefts and the second series interwoven solely with the lower wefts in a contiguous section'of the strip to form a double-ply fabric with said elastic strands freely disposed between said plies in said contiguous section of said strip, said tie loops being arranged in laterally and longitudinally oiset relation at opposite sides respectively of each elastic strand at predetermined points in said single-ply section andbound firmly against the opposite sides respectivelyof each strand by said wefts to effect said Ibinding-in of said elastic strands in said single-ply section.

8. A garment supporter comprising a continuous integrally woven strip of fabric including an elastic section composed of single-ply fabric and an inelastic section formed of double-ply fabric adjacent the juncture between said elastic and said inelastic sections, and elastic strands incorporated in said strip and maintained under tension in said elastic section with non-tensioned ends of said elastic strands projecting freely from said elastic section into said inelastic section be-v tween the plies of the double-ply fabric of said inelastic section.

9. A garment supporter comprising a continuous integrally woven strip of fabric including an elastic section 4composed of single-ply fabric, an

inelastic section consisting of a portion composed of -double-ply fabric adjacent said elastic section and a portion composed of single-ply fabric remote -to said elastic section, and elastic strands incorporated in said strip and maintained under tension in said elastic section with non-tensioned ends of said strands extending freely from said elastic section into and terminating in said double-ply portion of said inelastic section between said plies thereof.

' 10. A garment supporter comprising a continuous integrally woven strip .of fabric including an elastic section composed of single-ply fabric, an inelastic section at each end of said elastic section and each composed of double-ply fabric adjacent said elastic section and single-ply fabric remote t said elastic section, and elastic strands incorporated in the strip and maintained under tension in the elastic section with' the opposite ends of said strands projecting freely and with-f out tension from the elastic section into and terminating in and between the plies of the double-ply portion of the inelastic section at each end of the elastic section.

CLAUS A, COSMAN. 

